The Team
by fangs.number1.fangirl
Summary: There had been an idea to form a team. A motley crew of sidekicks, put together so that they could defend Earth-16 and its inhabitants when their revered mentors weren't around to do the job. They would be absolutely brilliant. They would be . . . legendary. If only they could manage to get along first.
1. Prologue

**Some notes before you read: This idea came to me spontaneously while I was watching a movie. I forget which movie, since it was a month ago or so, but it was probably action. I'm really excited about writing this and I've been working on it for a while, and I'm really happy with the way it's turning out so far. It's pretty much just my version of how the team met/how they came to be. I'll try to update every week, but I just moved into college this week so I expect to be pretty busy within the next couple months. Plus, I'm also working on another fic at the same time. But I'll try to update as frequently as I can! Anyway I hope you like it!**

**Prologue**

There had been an idea to form a team. A motley crew of sidekicks, put together so that they could defend Earth-16 and its inhabitants when their revered mentors weren't around to do the job. The world needed more heroes, and this assortment would be like no other. The six boys and girls specifically sought out and chosen for the job would be the next generation of the Justice League.

They would be absolutely brilliant.

The first was Robin. Though young, only thirteen, the adopted son of Batman had vast experience in the field of crime fighting. He was exceedingly adept at hand-to-hand combat, as well as a master martial artist, an excellent tactician and a technological genius.

The second was Aqualad. An Atlantean who possessed incredible strength and durability, as well as the ability to breathe and speak underwater. Aquaman's protégé could form weapons out of water and use it to conduct electricity. His leadership skills would make him an asset to the assembled group of young heroes.

The third was Kid Flash. A science prodigy who possessed enhanced speed, though he was marginally slower than his mentor, The Flash. Despite his smaller range of abilities, what he lacked in powers he made up for in his incredible intelligence and steadfast loyalty.

The fourth was Superboy. A clone of Superman rescued from Project Cadmus, he possessed impossible strength, the capability to jump astounding distances into the air, invulnerability, and enhanced hearing. Though he was untrained, he would prove a fast learner.

The fifth was Miss Martian. The inexperienced niece of the Martian Manhunter was young and naïve, but she possessed one of the strongest telepathic minds in the entire galaxy, as well as the gifts of telekinesis, flight, and shape shifting. Her abilities were unparalleled on the League, even by her uncle.

And the sixth was Artemis. Like Robin, she did not possess superpowers, but her skills with a bow and arrow could be matched by no other. As a master archer and a martial artist, she was strong-willed and dedicated, with an independent mindset and a headstrong nature.

These six young heroes would be a new beginning. These six individuals would be the promise of a new age, a new millennium. They would be at the very head of a new generation of superheroes who would one day change the world, just as their mentors had before them.

They would be . . . _legendary_.

If only they could manage to get along first.


	2. Chapter 1

**1.**

Dick Grayson and Wally West arrived together on the first day of training, their mentors talking in hushed tones behind them. The sidekicks were dressed in civilian clothes and carrying their heavy duffel bags with them. Wally stared up at Mount Justice with a grin on his face, his bright red hair dancing softly in the summer breeze. He clapped Dick on the shoulder and let out a blissful sigh.

"Well, buddy, looks like this is gonna be our home for the next few months," he said, and Dick grinned.

"Looks cozy," the younger boy noted, tilting his head back to get the full view of the towering mountain in front of them. The landform was bordered by a small, private beach on one side and a sparsely wooded area on the other. It was a good place for a headquarters, Dick thought appreciatively.

"Hey, Flash!" Wally turned to his mentor behind him, abruptly cutting off the hushed conversation his uncle was having with Batman. "Can we take the grand tour?"

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Kid." Flash grinned at his nephew and crossed his arms over his chest. "Wait until the others get here."

Just as he said the words, the ocean began to bubble on the small beach. Dick and Wally watched, eyes wide, as Aquaman and a dark-skinned boy with blond hair rose from the water and stepped onto the shore. The boy had black tattoos winding around his arms and webbed fingers and toes.

"Whoa," Wally said. Dick grinned as the two men approached.

"Nice to see you, Orin." Batman shook Aquaman's hand and patted him on the shoulder. "Glad you could make it." He nodded to the younger boy. "Kaldur."

"I am honored to be here, Batman," the boy said. "Thank you for giving me this opportunity."

"Come meet some of your teammates." Batman led the boy over to Wally and Dick, who gave him friendly grins.

"Greetings." Kaldur stuck his hand out, and Dick shook it first. "I am Kaldur'ahm of Atlantis. You may call me Kaldur."

"Nice to meet you, Kaldur. I'm Dick, and this is Wally."

"Robin and Kid Flash, if you want to get technical," Wally said. "And you're Aqualad."

Kaldur nodded. "Indeed. I am looking forward to working with you both."

The sound of a car approaching on the dirt road made all three of the boys turn their heads. Batman approached the shiny black sedan with his arms crossed. The driver of the car got out and came around the side to open the door for his passengers. Superman, dressed in civvies, and a younger-looking version of him stepped out of the car. The boy looked angry. He had his arms crossed over his chest and glared at the ground like it offended him.

"Clark." Batman shook Superman's hand. "Right on time."

"I had to finish some things at the office," Clark said. "But I'm here, aren't I?" Superman turned behind him and nodded to the boy glaring at the ground. "Conner, go meet your teammates." He didn't say it like an order – it was more of a gentle suggestion, but the boy took it as an order anyway. He stalked angrily over to where Dick, Wally and Kaldur were watching him.

Kaldur stepped forward first and stuck out his hand. "You must be Superboy."

Superboy looked wary, but after a moment, he nodded. He shook Kaldur's hand without a word.

"I am Kaldur. This is Dick, and Wally." He gestured behind him to the other two boys, who gave Superboy the same friendly grins they'd given Aqualad.

"I –" Superboy began, but was distracted by the sight of something in the sky. It was a large red spaceship approaching the mountain. Everyone followed his curious gaze and watched as the spaceship lowered itself down onto a large, empty patch of grass beside the mountain. Batman and Superman walked over to the ship to greet the newcomers.

"It's Martian Manhunter," Wally whispered to his teammates as two green-skinned Martians stepped out of the ship. One was the well-known League member and the other was a girl with red hair and freckles. It should've looked strange with her green skin, but on her, it looked . . . cute. That was the word that popped into Superboy's head when he caught her eye.

The girl's feet left the ground as she flew over to her new teammates. She smiled shyly at them all.

"Hi," she said. "I'm M'gann. M'gann M'orzz, J'onn's niece. You can call me Megan, though, if you want. I mean, whatever works for you guys."

"Megan it is, then," Dick said with a smile. He shook her hand, his dark sunglasses glinting in the light from the sun overhead. "I'm Dick."

"Wally. The green skin totally works for you, gorgeous," Wally winked at her as they shook hands, and Megan blushed pink.

"You may call me Kaldur. Welcome to Earth, M'gann," Kaldur smiled at her, and M'gann nodded excitedly.

"Oh, I'm so happy to be here!" she said. "I've dreamed of coming to Earth since I was little. It's so beautiful here." She turned her eyes to Superboy and blushed again, looking down at the ground.

"Hi," he said. "I'm . . . Conner."

"I've always loved that name," she said. "It's nice to meet you, Conner."

He opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off again by the sound of another car approaching, this time a black stretch limo. Dick and Wally looked at each other and grinned. They watched in anticipation as two members of the Justice League stepped out – the first was Green Arrow, dressed in a suit and tie, and the second was Black Canary.

Green Arrow – that is, Oliver Queen – turned around and spoke to someone still in the limo. "Come on out, Artemis. Don't be shy."

"I'm _not _shy." A tan girl with a long blonde ponytail and a challenging expression stepped out of the limo, digging the heels of her black boots into the ground. She crossed her arms over her chest and stared at her five new teammates as if daring them to talk to her.

"Well, it looks like everyone's here," Black Canary said, smiling at the six young sidekicks. "Excellent."

As Artemis walked over to where the others were standing, Wally raised an eyebrow at her questioningly. "Who are you? Where's Roy?"

"Roy opted out," Green Arrow said before Artemis could open her mouth. "He won't be joining your team."

Wally's face fell. "Did he say why?"

"Personal reasons." Green Arrow shrugged, and Black Canary stepped in and put a hand on his shoulder.

"We gave Roy the option of joining, but he declined. And besides, Artemis was specifically chosen for this job, just like the rest of you."

Artemis smirked at Wally, who glared at her. "Who _are _you?" he asked again, crossing his arms over his chest.

"You'll all get to know each other in time," Black Canary stepped forward. "But what do you say we get settled first?"

The six sidekicks turned towards Mount Justice, and the sight of it sparked excitement and anticipation in their chests.

Black Canary stood in front of the mountain and smiled, opening her arms wide.

"Welcome," she said, "to your new home."


	3. Chapter 2

**Sorry for the delay! I'm honestly the worst at updating and keeping up with stories.**

**2. **

The mountain was surprisingly comfortable. The team was given a brief tour before they were assigned their rooms, and it was hard for them not to stop and marvel at all the features of Mount Justice. It was nearly impossible to pull Wally away from the fully stocked refrigerator in the kitchen, and Dick was awestruck with all the new technology available to him. He could've stayed in the control room for hours.

After they were given their rooms, the team was instructed to meet in the center of the mountain – the cave – for proper introductions. Artemis was the first to arrive. Her arms were crossed over her chest and she kept a carefully guarded expression on her face as the others slowly filed in. Wally was the last to stumble into the wide room, his arms holding as much food as they could carry. Artemis rolled her eyes, and he glared at her.

Black Canary and Batman stood at the center of the room in front of a holographic computer. The screen floating in midair displayed a list of the names of each sidekick on the team.

"Before we begin official training, introductions must be made," Black Canary said, her hands on her hips. "This team is expected to work _together_ on missions. A certain amount of trust is required in order for that to happen."

"For that trust to be established, there can be no secrets," Batman said darkly. "_Everything _will be out in the open."

"Everything?" Wally's eyes widened, and Batman nodded.

"Why?" Artemis asked him, her tone teasing. "Got something to hide, Kid Idiot?"

"No, but I have a feeling you do," he snapped at her. "Considering no one's ever heard of you before. I didn't even know Green Arrow had another sidekick."

"That's enough." Black Canary stepped forward, cutting off the conversation. "This is exactly why we're doing this. There can't be any doubt among the team, or this whole program will have been for nothing. We chose the six of you because we believed you would work well together as a team. Don't let us down."

Wally and Artemis looked away from each other angrily.

Batman pressed a few keys on the holographic keyboard, and the screen changed to show a detailed profile of each sidekick present.

"We'll start with you, Wally." Black Canary read from his profile while he crunched on a bag of chips. "Wallace West, otherwise known as Kid Flash. Age 15. Partner of Barry Allen, AKA The Flash. Powers and abilities include super-speed and telescopic goggles that enhance his vision. Incredibly intelligent, but known to be impulsive and competitive."

"Hey, I'm not competitive!" Wally protested over a mouthful of chips. Next to him, Dick laughed.

"Oh, yeah? Remember the last track meet I went to? You almost ran that poor kid into the ground."

"Hey, he deserved it. He was a jerk," Wally said with a shrug, and Dick grinned and shook his head.

"Next," Black Canary said, and the boys automatically turned their attention to her. "Richard Grayson, otherwise known as Robin. Age 13. Protégé of the Batman. Powers and abilities include amazing acrobatic skills, martial arts expertise and genius hacking skills. Tech expert and most experienced in the field. Has a habit of being immature."

"Right, just 'cause I'm the youngest it means I'm immature," Dick rolled his eyes.

"Kaldur'ahm," Black Canary continued without missing a beat. "AKA Aqualad. Age 16. Apprentice to Aquaman. Powers and abilities include amphibious traits, electric eel tattoos that allow him to conduct electricity, and water-bearers. Trained warrior, with an air of confidence. Has a tendency to daydream."

"Conner Kent. Superboy. Cloned from Superman, aged 6 months. Age 16 in human years. Powers and abilities include super-strength, infrared vision, and the ability to jump extremely high distances. Notes on the subject say that he is untrained and has an explosive temper."

Everyone saw Superboy's fists clench angrily, but no one said anything.

"M'gann M'orzz, or Miss Martian. Age 16. Niece of Martian Manhunter. Powers and abilities include shape-shifting, telepathy and telekinesis. Extremely vulnerable to fire. Personality is described as sweet and optimistic, though naïve."

Miss Martian winced and looked down at the ground.

"And lastly, Artemis."

When Black Canary said her name, Artemis tensed visibly. Wally narrowed his eyes at her.

"Artemis Crock, age 15. Powers and abilities include being a master archer and martial artist. Strong-willed and dedicated, but a tough attitude."

"I do _not _have a tough attitude." Artemis raised her chin and crossed her arms over her chest. Black Canary gave her a look and continued speaking.

"Notes on the subject say she has a dangerous past. She is the daughter of ex-con Huntress and Shadow villain Sportsmaster. Sister to Cheshire. Taken on as a sidekick by Green Arrow."

Artemis was intensely aware of everyone staring at her.

"Her family's part of the Shadows," Wally interjected. "And you want us to trust _her_? She could turn on us at any minute!"

"Nice to know you have my back," Artemis snapped at him.

"Yes, we want you to trust her," Black Canary said. "The point of this was so that there would be no secrets. Like Batman said, everything is out in the open. We specifically chose Artemis for this job because we truly believed she was capable of what we are asking of her. Her skills are highly impressive, and Green Arrow took her on as a sidekick because she didn't want to be a part of the Shadows. She chose to lead a life fighting against crime instead of committing it."

"Thanks for giving them my life story, Dinah," Artemis sighed and crossed her arms over her chest, and Black Canary frowned disapprovingly at her.

"Artemis, you knew what would –"

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." She waved a hand in the air dismissively and refused to look at anyone.

Black Canary sighed and turned back to the team. "Here's what's going to happen. Over the next few months, you will train together as a team. You will each be given different exercises to test your strengths and weaknesses, and you will learn to work together to accomplish tasks. You will not be given a mission until the League feels you are ready."

Wally opened his mouth to protest, but a sharp look from Batman made him close it again.

"While you are living here, you won't have to go to school –"

"Yes!" Wally and Dick bumped fists and grinned ecstatically.

"- but you will still have to keep up with your academia. Special teachers will be brought in to instruct you when you're not training," Black Canary finished, and Dick and Wally groaned in unison.

"I will be your combat instructor, and Batman will be your official mission advisor. He will assign you missions and send you out into the field. Red Tornado will be your official supervisor while you're living here. If any circumstances arise where the three of us will not be available, you will have an assigned . . . den mother, as it were, from the League to watch over you in our absence," Black Canary looked at each of the team members individually, her gaze landing on Artemis last. "Is that clear?"

"Clear," the team said together.

Black Canary smiled. "Good." She sighed with a note of finality. "Official training doesn't begin until tomorrow, so you have the rest of the day to explore the mountain and relax. In each of your rooms you'll find your training gear, as well as your costumes."

"Do not leave the mountain without clearance from either one of us," Batman said, stepping away from the holographic computer. The screen and the keyboard disappeared. "Only way in or out is through zeta tubes, and we'll be able to tell if one of you has gone through. You've all been authorized in the system, and you each have your own designation number."

"This is so cool," Wally whispered excitedly. He grinned at Dick. "We're part of a team."

"I know all of this might be a little overwhelming at first," Black Canary said, spreading her arms wide to encompass the mountain they were standing in, "but try to take it all in stride. You'll get used to it in time."

As Artemis watched her new teammates disperse from the room, she clenched her fists and took a deep breath. Black Canary leveled her gaze on the archer.

"Everything all right, Artemis?"

She forced a smile. "Yes, Dinah. Everything's fine. Just peachy."

"You shouldn't be nervous. You have nothing to hide from them."

"I'm not nervous," Artemis snapped.

Dinah gave her a look, but didn't push the subject. Batman had disappeared, as well as the rest of the team, and the two blondes were the only people left in the cave.

Dinah put a hand on Artemis's shoulder and squeezed it.

"I made a promise to Ollie that I would watch over you," she said quietly. "Please don't make it harder for me, Artemis."

Artemis opened her mouth to say something about how she didn't need a babysitter, but the look in Dinah's eyes made her shut it again. She huffed indignantly.

"Fine. I'll be in my room."

"You should interact with your teammates – "

"I will be. In my room." And with that, she turned her back on Black Canary and strode from the cave, down the hallway to where her new bedroom was. Her suitcase lay unopened in the center of her bed. Artemis sighed and unzipped it. Lying on the top was her favorite book, Alice in Wonderland.

She picked it up, holding it with care, and placed it on her bedside table with a smile.


	4. Chapter 3

**3.**

Wally's alarm woke him up on the first day of training, and he groaned to himself. He rolled over in bed and hit the alarm with his hand, shutting it off.

"Ten more minutes," he mumbled at the ceiling.

He was afforded a few minutes of peaceful silence until a loud, blaring alarm blasted through the speakers in the walls, making his whole room shake. He was out of bed in an instant, had his training uniform on in another second, and was in the main cave in a flash.

"I'm here, I'm here!" he shouted, pulling his shirt down over his stomach. The rest of the team was already in line. Dick was laughing as Wally skidded into the cave.

"Nice of you to join us, Wally," Black Canary smirked at the redhead, whose red hair was still ruffled and messy from sleep. Artemis crossed her arms over her chest and smirked too, and Wally glared at her.

"Now that you're all here, let's begin."

The words immediately brought the six young heroes to attention. Black Canary clasped her hands behind her back and began to pace slowly in front of them.

"Since today is the first day, it won't be anything too difficult. Basic training to start you all off. You will each be put through a series of individual tests that will be specific to your unique abilities," she explained, and Artemis's fingers tingled in anticipation of holding a bow. She wanted to show her new teammates what she was made of.

"Each test has been designed with your abilities in mind," Black Canary continued. "How you do on these tests will determine how soon you will be ready to go out into the field."

Dick and Wally grinned at each other at the thought of actually fighting bad guys. This was gonna be so cool.

"Today, we'll measure your strength, speed, agility, and endurance. Tomorrow, we'll move on to combat training."

"Sweet!" Dick held up his hand, and Wally high-fived it enthusiastically. Artemis rolled her eyes.

"We'll start with Superboy," Black Canary said, and Superboy grimaced. "Follow me, Conner."

Everyone watched as they left the room, disappearing into an alcove. For a second, everyone was silent. Awkwardness fell in the air and the team members started fidgeting nervously, unsure what to do with themselves. They had only just met yesterday, after all.

"I just want to take this opportunity to say that I am excited to begin working with you all," Aqualad spoke up, breaking the awkward silence. "In Atlantis, my friend Garth and I always worked together, but I have never been part of such a large team before. It will be interesting to see how it goes."

"I'm excited, too," M'gann piped up, tucking her red hair behind her green ear. "I can't wait to get to know you all better. It'll be fun to work together."

"What do you guys think of the mountain so far?" Dick asked, looking around at the giant cave. "It's pretty nice, huh?"

"Dude, did you see the kitchen? It's stocked." Wally practically had hearts in his eyes. "All you can eat and more."

M'gann laughed, and he winked at her. The Martian blushed and smiled at him.

Artemis stood off to the side as her teammates began talking. She crossed her arms over her chest and stared at the cave wall, her posture closed-off. It wasn't that she didn't want to talk to them, but it was more like she didn't know how. She'd never been the type to make friends easily. At school, she was always the odd one out. A lot of people were afraid of her. She used to get into trouble a lot for getting into fistfights, so people mostly stayed out of her way. But that was how she liked it most of the time.

"Artemis?"

"Hm?" The archer turned her head to see everyone staring at her. M'gann was smiling welcomingly.

"What do you think?" she asked. "Of the mountain?"

"Oh." Artemis shrugged. "It's nice. A lot bigger than anything I'm used to."

"There are caves like this on Mars, so I'm pretty much used to it, but it's still so cool," M'gann said. "I mean, I've never had my own room before. I always had to share with my sisters."

Artemis remembered when she'd had to share a room with Jade, before she'd walked out. The memory made her heart constrict painfully in her chest, and she clenched her fists.

"Yeah," she said, not really sure what else to say.

Awkward silence fell for another moment before Kaldur smiled at Artemis.

"I am eager to see how well you do with a bow and arrow," he said. "I heard your skills were unparalleled."

Artemis smiled with pride and stood a little straighter. "They are."

"I still don't understand why Roy opted out," Wally mumbled to Dick out of the side of his mouth, and Dick elbowed him. Artemis's smile disappeared.

"Do you have something to say, Kid Idiot?" she snapped, and Wally glared at her.

"Yeah, actually, I do." He opened his mouth to say it, but Artemis shook her head.

"Unless you want to keep all of your extremities, I wouldn't," she warned, stepping closer to him. "You don't want to get on my bad side."

"What happens if I do?" he taunted, raising an eyebrow at her.

"You'll regret it until the day you die," she said. "Which might be soon, if you keep pissing me off."

"Please, stop!" M'gann said, her eyes wide. "We shouldn't be fighting. We're teammates now, and we have to get along."

"I don't think getting along was required. It was more of a polite suggestion," Artemis said.

"Either way, a team cannot work well together if we are at odds with each other," Kaldur stepped in between Artemis and Wally before either of them could hit the other. "If we cannot be friends, we must try to be civil towards each other, for the sake of the team."

"He's right." Batman appeared out of the shadows, and immediately each of the team members stood at attention like soldiers towards their commanding officer. "If you two can't get along, it'll be a problem. Either one of you can be easily replaced as fast as you were selected for this project."

Artemis and Wally glared at each other quickly, and then looked away.

"She started it," Wally mumbled.

"Oh, don't you _dare _try to pin this on me." Artemis's blood boiled with anger. "I can't believe –"

"That's enough." Batman's deep voice echoed through the cave, and Artemis shut up. She seethed silently to herself, refusing to look at Wally again. "Artemis. Keep your temper in check. And Kid Flash, don't antagonize her."

Artemis clenched her hands into fists. She hated being scolded like a child. It was stupid Kid Idiot's fault, and everyone knew it.

Batman stood watch over the team for the next half hour while Superboy finished his testing. When he emerged into the cave again with Black Canary, everyone looked up.

"How'd it go?" M'gann asked, smiling at Conner. He shrugged.

"Fine," he said. M'gann looked hurt for a second at his tone, and she looked down at the ground.

Black Canary let her gaze travel down the line of sidekicks until her eyes landed on Wally.

"Kid Flash," she said. "You're up."


	5. Chapter 4

**Sorry this is so short (and really, really, really late!)**

**4.**

Wally followed Black Canary into the alcove, his nerves eating at him. But of course, he wasn't about to let that show.

"So, gorgeous," he said, matching Black Canary's fast pace, "What kind of tests you got lined up for me?"

"We'll start by testing your speed," the woman said, leading him through a doorway. They emerged into what looked like a control room with a large window that faced out into a huge, empty tunnel-shaped space. Black Canary opened another door to let Wally out into the giant room. She closed the door behind him, and then her voice crackled loudly over a speaker in the wall.

"This space was created to see how fast you can run under certain weather conditions," she said into the microphone. "Rain, snow, sleet, hail. It will also provide obstacles in an attempt to throw you off. How well you dodge those obstacles will determine your score."

Wally nodded, suddenly serious. He stretched out his arms and legs. "Whenever you're ready, beautiful."

Black Canary pressed a button in the control room, and it began to rain a huge, torrential downpour. Wally didn't hesitate. He started running. The rain driving into his eyes was annoying – he wished they would've let him use his goggles – but he powered through it, running back and forth as fast as he could. As soon as the rain stopped, the snow started. Big white flurries poured down from the ceiling, but Wally was running too fast for any of the flakes to land on him. Suddenly, rocks jutted up from the ground. He dodged around them quickly, holding back a curse. They couldn't give a guy some warning?

He made it through the first test easily. When the ceiling stopped throwing hail the size of cotton balls at him and the obstacles stopped jutting up from the ground, Wally stopped and bent over to put his hands on his knees, breathing heavily. Man, he was hungry.

"Hey, when's breakfast?" he shouted up to Black Canary.

"Once you're done your individual testing, feel free to take anything you want from the kitchen," she said, her voice echoing in the wide chamber. "Good job, Wally. Your skills are impressive."

"So I've been told," he said proudly, wiggling his eyebrows at her. "But I've got other skills than just running fast, gorgeous. I could show you some time –"

"Your next test will be strength," Black Canary cut him off and gestured for him to come back into the control room. "Follow me."

His testing took an hour, and by the time he was finished, he was absolutely starving. He was holding his stomach when he walked back into the main cave, where the rest of his teammates were waiting.

Dick grinned at him and held up his hand. "How'd you do?"

Wally gave his best friend a high-five. "Passed with flying colors, obviously. The Wall-Man's got skills."

"Wall-Man?" Artemis raised one eyebrow at him in disdain. "Seriously? That's what you call yourself?" She smirked, and Wally frowned at her.

"You're just jealous 'cause I did better than you, Blondie," he said.

"I haven't even gone in yet," Artemis snapped.

"Yeah, but I already got a higher score than you."

"Artemis," Black Canary said before the archer could respond, nodding her head towards the alcove. "You're next."

Artemis gave Wally a superior smile. "I hope you like coming in second, Wall-Man."

She was already gone by the time Wally thought of a comeback, so he just frowned and started walking towards the hallway that led to the kitchen. He needed fuel if he was gonna have to put up with _her _for the rest of the day.


	6. Chapter 5

**I know, I know, it's been over a month since I updated and I am a piece of trash. I can't tell you guys how sorry I am for being so late with this. I'm in the process of trying to transfer schools, and being at college has put a lot of stress on me. I've been really depressed the last month and I haven't really had any motivation to write anything. But I promise I'm not giving up on this, or my other ongoing fics! Just hang in there and be patient with me, please :) Anyway, here's the long-awaited chapter five. Enjoy!**

**5. **

Artemis gripped her bow tightly, craning her neck back and forth to stretch it out. Black Canary had led her into a room that seemed specifically designed for her – a bunch of different targets were set up all around the floor, spaced out at intervals. Some were close, some were far away, some were hanging from the ceiling. Artemis suspected they wanted her to shoot them all. Too easy.

But when Black Canary pressed a button and obstacles started hitting her arrows out of the way, she got mad.

Artemis knocked the dummies back with high kicks and well-aimed punches. Whenever the sole of her boot made contact with a plastic dummy, she smiled. She shot arrows this way and that, and each one hit their target true. She never missed a bulls-eye. She shot some explosive arrows to take out a couple of the dummies at once, running around the room like a whirling dervish. When her quiver was empty, she stood back to assess the damage, breathing hard. Artemis put her hands on her hips and smiled satisfactorily. She turned to grin at Black Canary and the two suits who'd been watching her performance. They were all talking in hushed tones to each other, nodding their heads.

A little annoyed, Artemis crossed her arms over her chest. "How'd I do?"

Black Canary turned to her and nodded. "Very good, Artemis. You've exceeded expectations."

"Of course," Artemis shrugged as if that should've been obvious. "What's next?"

"Next we'll test your strength." Black Canary gestured for Artemis to leave the practice room, and the two women walked down the hallway to the weight room. Artemis cracked her knuckles and stretched out her shoulders and arms, heading for the barbell without even a prompt from Black Canary.

"You're angry," Dinah said quietly as Artemis laid back on the leather seat. The older woman could see the telltale crease in between Artemis's eyes that always gave her away.

"No, I'm focused," Artemis said. "There's a difference." She put her hands on the metal bar and flexed her muscles, but before she could lift it, Black Canary put a hand on the bar and held it down.

"You're hostile towards your teammates," Black Canary said. "That isn't good, Artemis."

"I'm not hostile," she protested. "I just don't know them well enough to trust them yet."

"Trust is imperative on the battlefield."

"I know that. It's just gonna take some time." Artemis didn't trust easily. She _definitely_ didn't trust Wally, the stupid idiot. Aqualad, sure. M'gann, maybe. Superboy seemed too closed off, and there was something about Dick that was a little iffy. But it would take a while before she trusted any of them with her life.

"If you can't handle being on this team –"

"I can handle it." Artemis cut Black Canary off before she could finish her sentence and glared at her. They couldn't kick her off the team. Even if she barely knew them, the team was the only thing she had. She didn't want to go back home.

Black Canary gazed at the young archer steadily for a few moments before Artemis closed her eyes and sighed. Her shoulders slumped.

"I can handle it," she said, her voice softer this time. "I know I'm being difficult. I'm sorry. I'm just not used to this."

Dinah smiled softly in understanding. "Just give it time. You'll warm up to each other eventually. And if you ever need anything, you can always come find me. Oliver is only a phone call away, as well."

Artemis nodded. "Thanks." It was all she could say.

Black Canary stood back. "Now," she said, nodding towards the weights. "Let's see how strong you are."


End file.
